US solar installations forecast to drop 16% as procurement slows

New York

US solar installations will fall 16 per cent this year, according to a forecast released on Thursday, as utilities slow procurement of projects to meet state mandates and residential systems become harder to sell.

Following a banner 2016 driven by expectations that a key federal tax credit would expire at the end of that year, the utility-scale market is expected to drop to eight gigawatts this year from more than 10 GW last year, according to a report by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association.